I travelled to Cochabamba after landing in La Paz. It's a beauuutiful city. I saw the Cristo via Cochabamba's own cable car, saw the movie Paddington dubbed in Spanish in theaters, ate ice-cream in the plaza 14 de septiembre, bought flowers in a market in Quillacollo, and waded through crowds in La Cancha - a huge market known for its pickpockets.

the beautiful hills of Cochabamba

beautiful rays of sunshine

here's where I was:

The less glamorous side of travel isn't as fun to talk about, but here it is... I walked on packed sidewalks with a broken backpack, sweaty and tired, arrived at 1am on a bus with no air conditioning, and received my share of stares as a mochillera (a backpacker).

panorama of cochabamba after a rain - with a cloud settled into the hills

intersection of Av. Aroma and San Martín, deceivingly empty on a holiday

Cristo de la Concordia in the distance, a statue of Christ 40m tall on el cerro de San Pedro

35mm film. taken in Sacaba, a suburb of Cochabamba.

35mm film.

35mm film. taken in the Botanical Gardens of Cochabamba

I like to stay in one place for a long time as opposed to bouncing around day after day. It's more relaxing that way, and I get a deeper understanding of that place rather than the flash highlights from a guidebook. Staying longer means experience more of everything, the good, the bad, the awkward, and the amazing. And now I know how to use the Bolivian trufi (8-person vans) system...mostly.